Display device



Feb. 24, 1925.

' 1,527,719` L. o. wETHl-:RELL

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Dec. 9, 1922 311mm oz,

atroz M1 Patented Feb. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES LESLIE O. WETHERELL, OF ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO IFR'EE1VIA1\TV DAUGHADAY COMPANY, OF CHARTLEY, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DISPLAY DEVICE.

Application led 'December 9, 1922. Serial No. 605,841.

To all 'whom t may concern: i

Be it known that I, LnsLIE O. VVETHERELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Attleboro, in the county of Bristol and State of lldassachusetts7 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display Devices, of which the following is a speer lication.

This invention relates to display devices of the class adapted for use in displaying cuff buttons and other articles of jewelry, and the object of this invention is to provide a display device of this character in which individual cards on which articles are mounted, are adapted to be removably held.

The invention further consists in the provision of means vin said device whereby these cards or holders carrying the goods may be held in flat or extended position to render the display more attractive.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a cover or inclosing plate for the back of the device to inclosethat portion of the articles which extend beyond the back sup-` porting plate and to also cause the display device to present a more iinished appearance to the observer when any of the holder cards are removed from the openings therein.

W'ith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain no-vel featurts of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawin`gs- Figure 1 is a front view of my improved display device showing portions partly broken away to better show its construction.

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly .in section illustrating the device as being supported in display position by a supporting standard.

Figure 3 is a rear view showing a fragmental portion of the device and partly broken away to better illustrate its construction.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section illustrating a pair of separable cuff buttons as mounted on a holder card, the card being mounted in the support and the cover plate 'spaced from the back to inclose the inner ends of the cui buttons.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a detail of the ordinary holding card. The following is a detailed description of one embodiment of Ymy invention by which the desired results may be obtained, the same comprising essentially a front plate 10, preferably formed` of cardboard. provided with a plurality of openings 11./ On the back of this front plate, I preferably secure a spacer plate 12 also'having openings and adapted to register with those in the front plate, and on the back of this spacer plate I secure a back plate 13 having openings registri with those in the front plate and the spacer plate, the openings in this back plate being preferably of a size greater than those in the Jfront plate, and this back plate is preferably Y provided with inwardly-extending tabs or projecting portions 14 which are formed on the marginal edgesvof the back plate to eX- tend towards each other, preferably beyond the marginal edges of the front plate.

Any desired articles of jewelry may be mounted upon any suitable card or the like to be positioned in these openings, but the card 15 shown in F iaure 5 is especially adapted toreceivesuch articles of iewelry as cuff buttons and is provided with holes 16 through which a pair of separable buttons 17 may be connected.

When it is desired to position this card with its buttons mounted thereon, in the opening 11 in the display, itis only necessary to buckle or bend the card longitudinally sutiiciently to enable its marginal edges to enter the contracted openings through the front plate and to carry it inwardly until those edges rest upon the tabs 14 when upon being released the card immediately springs back to its normal or flat condition with its face substantially parallel to the front plate, the grooves or recesses 18 in the holder being of suthcient depth to allow this card to lie in extended position, that is, when these cards are in extended position their side marginal edges extend beneath the corresponding edges of the trontplate and the tabs 14 in the back plate engage the under side of the card thus releasably retaining the card in extended display position.

The size of the space between the front and back plate is preferably sufficient to per mit the holder card to lie in extended position.

It is found in practice that a Vdevice of this character which is adapted to permit its hol-der cards to lie flat, has considerable Ill advantage over one in which the cards must be raised in order to be retained therein: first, the display device is very much neater in appearance where the face olf its holder card lies parallel with that of the front plate; and second, by having a holder card lie in this flat position the articles displayed do not extend forwardly above the front surface of the device so far as when mounted on raised cards, which is considered oiadvantage in such -display card devices.

It is found in practice oi'f considerable advantage 'or several reasons, to pi'ovid-e an inclosing or co-ver plate for housing the inner endsofthe culi' buttonsand to accomplish this in a. simple andefiective way, l have provid-ed a box-shaped ineinber 19 having side walls 20 and end walls 21 turned up with its marginal edges turned outwardly to engage `and be secured to the back plate 13 of the supporting member.

The bottom of this boit member is spaced sufficiently from the back plate lto receive the inner head member or the cut button. By this construction the inner face 22 of the bottom of the box may be so finished that when one of the holder cards 15 is removed with its cuil buttons from the display device the appearance of the display is not detrimentally `ailected as would be the case it no backing plate were employ-ed.

l cla-im:

1. A display device for `iewelry mounted on cards, comprising front and back plates having registering` openings, an intermediate member spacing said 'front and back plates providing a recess between them to receive the edges of the cards, said member having edge portions set inwardly from the opening aga-inst which an, edge of said card mounted therein may rest to cooperate with said front and back plates to retain said .cards in their display position in said openand back plates having openings in regis-A tration, a holder for articles to be displayed adapted to tit within the opening in the intermediate plate, said front and back plates having portions overlapping the opening in said intermediate plate whereby said holder is retained in the opening in said interme diate plate, and a rear cover plate spaced troni said back plate aI distance sutlicient to receive the rear orn the article when its holder is positioned.

Il. In a. display devicea supportfor artifv cle holders comprising` 'front intermediate. and back plates having openings in registration, the openings in the front plate being smaller than the openings in the other plates, and rigid tabs extending inwardly from the back plate, said tabs permitting holders for the articles to be displayedl to be slipped into and lie fiat in the openings in the intermediate pla-te, the tabs thereafter retaining the holders in place, and a rear cover plate spaced from said back plate a distance sufficient to receive the rear of the article when its holder is positioned.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

LESLIE O. VVETHERELL. 

